The only time my son went with me, we stood in line very early at Best Buy. He was probably about 12. I told him to be on the lookout for Gone With The Wind and Lady and the Tramp as they were both newly out on video (not dvd, so this was a while ago). He found a basket full soon after the doors opened and some lady yelled at him and told him it was her basket. He still gets a kick out of telling that story. Needless to say, we didn't shop after Thanksgiving again for quite a while, mainly because I had a job where I didn't usually get the day off. Oh, and that Gone With The Wind movie sat unopened for several years until I think I gave it to my mom last Christmas since I have the movie on dvd now.

Last year was the first time I went in years (this time to Walmart) and was so excited to find a 15" flat panel tv for $170 that it made my day. I still haven't seen one that cheap since. This year I might get a 42" if I find a good deal. I also got my son a digital camera for about $80 and the memory card (512 mb) for $12 and that really was a good deal. And what was even better was the price I originally thought I was getting was actually discounted even more when I got to the register!

Oh, and I also love the day after Christmas too. I like to buy the perfume and body lotion baskets when they're half off, and all for me! Plus you can find good deals on the earring and necklace sets. I got my tree last year for half off (could have got it for 75% off if I waited another week) and it's still new in the box waiting to be put up this year. It's one of those pre-lit ones. I hope it works!

Sometimes it's worth it if you stick to one store and know what you want. Come on people, have a little adventure in your life

My son and I still cringe when we remember our first and I think last, Friday after, shopping spree. He was a young teenager and wanted to get his niece, my grand daughter, a Cabbage Patch doll. Well a store where I had worked relief for several years, had the doll at a super price. We went and stood in line till the store opened and there must have been 300 people wanting a doll. The manager of the department came by and saw me and visited for a minute. Then she went in the back room, came to the door and yelled out to us, what color hair and eyes did we want. She shoved her way through that crowd and brought the doll to us but we had to pass about 250 people on our way to check out. Talk about some dirty looks! No way would I do that today in Memphis. We'd be lucky to make it out alive!

I tried shopping the day after Thanksgiving once, and only once. I was so disgusted by rude and pushy shoppers that I haven't tried again in over 20 years. And from what I've read, it's gotten even worse.

I think a lot of that depends on where you live. For years (until we moved this summer) where I went it was more like a party atmosphere even for strangers and we never experienced fights, pushing or shoving. Everyone was truly helpful. I know that I've gotten help and given help to perfect strangers on items that one of us couldn't reach or get too, steered people to where the items were, traded info on other stores and just had a good time.

I've seen the news reports about fighting and all and just never experienced it. I guess I've been lucky where I used to live and to me, who is NOT a morning person, i am out of that bed on black friday like its Christmas morning. I can't WAIT to go and my friends and I pour over the ads on Thanksgiving and then map out our battleplan, so we know exactly where to go, when everything opens and what we want, so usually we get in and get our stuf and get out and move on. And if the lines start to get long, then one of us stands in line while the other finishes shopping so that by the time we reach the checkout, we haven't spent an hour in line.

My husband HATES it with a passion. He went one year and refused to go again. But he LOVES that I can get such good bargains and not spend a freaking fortune on Christmas presents. I probably do a good 75% of my shopping on black friday.

I really do have a good time and have gotten some incredible savings and then I go home, take a nap and then the whole family goes to a new release holiday movie that afternoon.

myrosiedog..me and you would have us a good ole time shopping together! I plan out my shopping destinations like it was a strategic war meeting-armed and ready with my store circulars, good tennis shoes and some comfy clothes I show up bright and early on Black Friday. Meet ya at the Waffle House after we've hit the stores?!!!

I absolutely hate, loathe and despise to go shopping EXCEPT for the day after Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas!!!! I have gotten to Best Buy at 4:00 in the morning for items and then stood in line for almost 2 hours to PAY for the item!!! I love to see what everybody else is buying...I usually go to the one store that has the majority of things I'm most interested in and get those things and then I may go to some of the other stores just to browse. I have almost been involved in a knock down drag out fight between some people at Target several years back too. There was a group of about 25-30 of us who had waited patiently outside the store (and it was about 30°) for about 2 hours waiting for them to open it up and right as they open up the doors there were about 10 "ladies" who had just drove up in the parking lot and who proceeded to just cut in front of all of us and walk right on in......lemme tell ya..it was NOT pretty!

My mom use to work at Walmart about 10 years ago and she would tell us about people who would come in the store on Wednesday night and proceed to sit down in the electronics section and wait until 6:00 a.m. when the electronics would go on sale!!! My butt and back couldn't handle sitting on that cold hard floor for that long!

ArchieComicFan, I'm like you...the day after Christmas my mom and I go to Walmart and buy the perfume sets. I buy some for me and some to give as presents throughout the year. The only perfume my mom wears is "White Diamonds" and she goes through alot of it each year and one year when we went to Walmart the day after Christmas she ended up buying 75 gift sets of nothing but "White Diamonds". She was good to go for the year!

I've worked retail and there are some absolute _______ (fill in the blank with the ugly word of your choice) and they treat the workers absolutely horrible so I always make sure to never get impatient with someone and always try to make their job a little easier by taking the clothes hangers off the clothes before I get to the check out or helping them bag the items and making sure to smile and thank them. Don't get me wrong, I usually always do that anyway but I try to really help them on those days!!! And Unklescott...I always make sure to tip extra nice when I'm at a restaurant on those days!

I've tried to block the years from my memory but I spent 3 years working at Best Buy as a cashier and not only can some of the customers be rude, but during my stint the managers treated the employees like cattle. Customers think it's a pain to stand in line but think of the cashiers who have been standing for hours without a break, getting dirty looks (and sometimes verbal assaults) when they have to check your ID or a price doesn't match up to what you thought. Having to wait on a price check during Black Friday is scary time. Not only will the customer needing the price check get testy but everyone in line behind them starts to get restless. Remember, the cashiers don't set the prices, aren't responsible for the amount of merchendise on hand, and aren't responsible if there aren't enough registers open. Take it out on management if you have to blame someone!

And I felt like a schoolchild asking to use the bathroom. Not only do the customers not understand that you are human and need to eat and use the restroom, but the managers don't want to think of you as anything but a robot on that day either. They would try to get someone to take over for you while you did those things but it was a "hurry up and get back" attitude. And if they told you your schedule was 7-3, for example, then plan on them calling you in earlier and asking you to stay longer. And it wasn't usually something you could say no to. If it was time for you to go and there wasn't another cashier ready to take your place you just had to stay and keep working. This was before they got more organized and wouldn't let lines build up at each register making it impossible for a cashier to cut her light out so she could leave. Now they do something where you stand in one line and are directed to a register, like at a bank or customer service.

And I've also had the fun experience of working customer service when the returns start pouring in after Christmas. That fun, magical time when people don't need a receipt because it was a "gift" and they will bring in game systems, vcr's, coffee makers, etc. that they got a couple of years ago. :nono

After 3 years I knew I couldn't do it anymore but I have sympathy for those who need a job so badly that they will endure the torment (as that was my reason for staying as long as I did). Maybe it's gotten better for cashiers over the years though. I'll be keeping an eye out during the holidays and will be letting management know if I think a cashier is about to fall down from exhaustion.

So please be kind to your cashier. You're lucky enough to be out finding the bargains while he/she has to stand in one spot all day hoping for a break which will likely never come or will be much too short.

And I've also had the fun experience of working customer service when the returns start pouring in after Christmas. That fun, magical time when people don't need a receipt because it was a "gift" and they will bring in game systems, vcr's, coffee makers, etc. that they got a couple of years ago. :nono

Ugh! The memories! I was trained on refunds for the very first time at Toys R Us the day after Christmas. I'd never done a refund there in my life until Dec 26. I showed up for work that morning, and they said "you're on refund today". I told them I'd never been trained, the manger shrugged, said "Your smart, you're drawer is always right, you'll do fine". After about 3 minutes of training, I was off to meet the masses.

There was a group of about 25-30 of us who had waited patiently outside the store (and it was about 30°) for about 2 hours waiting for them to open it up and right as they open up the doors there were about 10 "ladies" who had just drove up in the parking lot and who proceeded to just cut in front of all of us and walk right on in......lemme tell ya..it was NOT pretty!

Do you recognize any of the line crashers as being contestants on Amazing Race this season?

I used to do it when my kids were younger. Like you, MRD, I am not a morning person, but I would be up not so bright and early, driving in darkness to the stores. After things settled down the night before, I would gather up all the circulars, map out my plans, make my list. I think if I could have slept in my clothes I would! Hubby would stay home with the kids and I would hit the stores solo. I would be back home by ten in the morning, have all my shopping done, and go back to bed!

Years later, when the kids were older, hubby would go with me. He thought I was crazy, but he saw the savings I was getting. We also took advantage of not having the kids with us and we would go to breakfast after the stores. While waiting for our food, we would go over our receipts and be all thrilled over what great buys we had gotten. And yes, our shopping was more party atmosphere than angry mobs and we would see the same faces at some of the stores or at breakfast.

One thing I did learn after my first or second Black Friday experience was that a lot of the stores matched prices that other stores were offering. For example, say you saw Toys R Us selling some toy at their special price of 19.99 and you were at Target and they had the same toy for $24.99. Target would give it to you at the Toys R Us price......all you had to do was show them the item and price in the Toys R Us circular and they would match it. (I'm just using those store names as an example, I am *NOT* sure if those stores really do match prices.)

I also found that whatever I bought on Black Friday was never listed at a lower price during the rest of the holiday shopping period.

There were a few times when I would take my older kids with me and they thought it was insane so I don't think I made any converts with those two.

We've toned it down a lot now. Now that they are in their 20s, they just want money. Even my 15 year old is getting into the money mode. So we just put money into their stockings and buy little things (like socks, gloves, etc.) so that there is at least something under the tree for them to open. The kids love the money because they can score big time buying clothes and other things that are marked way down after the holidays.

Most of the gifts under the tree are now for my granddaughter....quite a few toys and clothes. Those things I can get anytime, so I am not going to fight the crowds. I don't even know what's really "in" with the 3 year-old crowd these days!

I used to also do the day after Christmas shopping too....to get cards, gift wrap, ornaments, etc. Now I wait a few days and avoid the crowds.

But I will still look at those circulars on Thanksgiving night just to see if there is any "must have" that will get me up and out on Black Friday. If not, I'll just sleep in that morning!